Its hard not being astonished by Van Gogh's letters. |
Vincent van Gogh painting of Paul Gauguin,right, Paul Gauguin - Vincent van Gogh painting sunflowers - Google Art Project.jpg, left. |
We woke up and strolled over the Van Gogh museum, just
across the way from the park and the youth hostel where we stayed. Its not
a new story. People the world are
drawn to it. A painting a day, he passed his life. But the struggles were always with him, like
us. He loved regular people and the
world in which they lived and worked. And
the critics condemned him this work. He
studied more and more. His moods ebbed,
his feelings crumbled and flowed along with the mornings he adored, the mystery
of the world evoked through his strokes. So many emotions, lost loves,
sensations, connections with the natural world, the zeitgeist of Paris, his
friendships, and struggles. Gaugin painted him painting; he painted Gaugin,
they discussed art, and the nature of their craft. They fought; Gaugin left. Some say it was Gaugin, who cut off the ear and the two artists decided to keep it hush hush. Regardless, mania consumed him. He went to the hospital. But he kept
painting the trees, taking in images of the world, writing his brother until
the very end.
Finishing the show, the rain came. So we retreated to a café, where everyone
shared their takeaways from the art. The
flea market vendors tended their wares in the rain.
We were going to meet our friends at the Church of St
Nicholas at two. So we made our way
through the bodies, red lights, streets, and canals on the way to water.
They told us about their lives in the city. That’s where dad
bought his house, where we sent our kids for childcare, where we met for a
first date.
The water connects the city with the ocean, delicately
finessing the flows of water, which may well consume the city. But not if the
city can stop it. They are building and planning and engineering for a city
which lives in harmony with the water, in its own delicate ecology.
Saying goodbye to our friends, we went for a pint and played
in the park.
Cyclists zoomed about.
The sky was striking.
The sky was striking.
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